Forever Hidden
by blacktears
Summary: AU...story about a war; sorcerers and a slave...main pairing is YAOI (but I'm not telling who)...also has het and yuri couples...has non-consentual sex; torture and s&m...please review.
1. The Slave

Note: will contain YAOI; YURI; and HET relationships...s&m, non-consentual sex...is AU...please read and review.  
  
  
  
Forever Hidden  
  
part 1:  
The Slave  
  
  
The floor on which the young man lay was cold and damp, strewn with a thin layer of mildewing straw. It was hard and uncomfortable, yet the boy could not move. He lay still against one wall, barely able to stretch his bony legs out without hitting the opposite wall.  
  
A door opened with a clang that echoed off the stone walls of the prison, followed by resounding footsteps. The boy on the floor opened his violet eyes, but remained completely still otherwise.  
  
"Feh..." came a voice...an almost pleasant voice with a faint northern accent. "It reaks of shite in here!"  
  
"I am sorry, my lord general," came the stammering reply. "This is the slave pens..."  
  
"Yes, yes," the first voice brushed off the slaver keeper's babbling apology impatiently. "Let me see the slaves...I want to leave this wretched place as soon as I bloody can."  
  
Lying still, the boy listened to the shuffling footsteps as they moved through the slave pens, accompanied by nasal mutters; the clinking of chains and an occasional shout. The chestnut haired boy's muscels tensed painfully as the sounds grew closer to his cramped stall.  
  
Step...step...step...a growl of "Get up," the sound of a smack...step...step...  
  
The boy forced himself to breath dispite his growing fear. He knew what was going to happen-but he could do nothing to prevent it. It would do no good to fear it, either.  
  
Footsteps...closer, closer...  
  
The slave keeper was nearly at his stall. Then he would unlock the iron chain that held the boy to a ring in the wall. The young man would be dragged into the corridor between stalls and forced to stand there. The buyer would walk the line of slaves and choose the one he wanted. Then they would leave and the slaves would be chained up once again. The violet eyed boy was never chose-he was skinny, even for a slave, and unsuitable for labor. And with each buyer gone, he was beaten more, fed less. He was dying-slowly and painfully...Another buyer or two gone, and his spirit would forever flee his weak body.  
  
Step...step...step...  
  
Through his thick lashes, the boy saw the slave keeper-a small, squat man with a lame leg and a chubby, red face-pause at his stall. He started in, dragging his long six-tailed whip behind him, his shuffling feet leaving trails through the straw.  
  
"Get up," he growled at the boy, flicking his whip over the young man's body just enough to give him a painful sting. The keeper would not leave noticable marks on the merchendise-not when a buyer was waiting, anyhow.  
  
Wincing, the boy sat, his eyes focused on the grimy floor. The keeper was unlocking his chain from the wall, tugging on it to force the slave to his feet.  
  
Standing on wobbly legs, the boy was forced to follow the shorter keeper out of his stall and into the hallway.  
  
The corridor was slightly better lit than the boy's tiny cell...for the most part, the floor was swept clear of straw and feces. The air was also cleaner, thanks to the open door leading to the outside world-but it still reaked, even to the young man's desensitized nose.  
  
As the boy had suspected, there was already a line of slaves against the wall opposite the stalls...and the buyer-a surpisingly small, blackhaired man in a crimson uniform-was already inspecting the merchendise.  
  
Even as the slave keeper forced the boy into plave at the end of the line, he looked the perspective slaves over. They were a sad bunch, clad in dirty rags with beards and matted hair. There was one girl, it seemed, but her featured were hidden under a thick layer of grime and dirt-the young man couldn't even tell how old she was. Still...her gender in itself made her a prime choice for many buyers. There was also a man who seemed healthier than the other slaves...his clothing wasn't so tattered and his hair seemed to have been, at one point anyhow, carefully kept. He stood straight and strong, though his eyes were fixed pointedly on the floor. He was likely a war prisoner and, dispite an ugly scar marring his face, was good working material.  
  
The slave keeper dropped the young slave's chain on the dirty stone ground and suffled away to bring out the rest of the slaves. Violet eyes closed as the boy swayed unsteadily on his feet. He could hear the keeper's scruffing footsteps and the buyer's slower, deliberate ones as he looked over the prospects.  
  
It wasn't long before another slave was positioned beside the young man...and time became a blur. The footsteps and shuffling...the figiting slaves, harsh breathing and gentle sway as the boy fought to keep his balance. And eternity past each second until a strong hand forced the boy's head up.  
  
Without meaning to, without really thinking, the young slave raised his eyes to meet the calculating dark blue ones. Eyes widened in horror of his action, the boy hastily closed them once again, trembling as he waited for the unavoidable blow to fall. He had had the gall to stare a buyer, a free man, in the eyes...he would surely pay.  
  
Strong fingers released his chin, and the slave braced himself. There was a crack, the sharp sound of flesh hitting flesh even before the pain blossumed in the long haired boy's cheek. Tears of pain welled in his expressive eyes and the hurt spread across his face, his flesh and bone aching with the force of the simple slap. The buyer was stronger than most men...it was just a slap, yet it hurt so much...  
  
"I'll take this one," the cultured voice said, and the young man forced his pain aside long enough to open an eye. The buyer was gesturing at him vaguely with a white gloved hand...  
  
His eyes widened, his pain vanished, the newly purchased slave felt utter astonishment flow through his veins, invading his mind and heart, numbing his body. He swallowed a gasp and forced his eyes to remain focused securly on the ground. Someone wanted him...someone bought him,...out of the corner of his eye, he could see his surprise mirrored on the slave keeper's face, as his new master whirled and strode from the stalls, leaving his trembling slave behind.  
  
"Get him cleaned up, then send him to my room." the order trailed behind him, lingering in the slave's mand even as the precise footsteps faded into nothingness.  
  
  
note: short, I know...I just wanted to get something out. The next part is actually already underway. review please? 


	2. The King

Note: this part contains mentioned yaoi (3+4+3) and implied future het (5+Meiran)...  
  
  
It was raining, he noticed glumy, flicking his dark eyes briefly upwards at the tall stained glass windows in a futile wish that he could see out them. Sometimes he hated the ornate things that hid the outside world from view...Tightly clenching his jaw, he once again lowered his eyes and forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand.  
  
Before him, the small of the Songuus Palace reception rooms was spread out like a kingdom in it's own rights. The many lords and ladys of Songuus that he'd invited-most out of courtesy and nothing more-filled the right half of the room with their jewelled splendor and mask like faces while seperated from them by a thin walkway of blood red carpet, the exotically clad Rosian dignities stared at him with calculating eyes.  
  
He ignored them all, focusing his attention on the delicate looking figure that grew ever closer to him. She was small, clad entirely in red without a centimeter of skin showing...her feet were silent on the dark carpet and the curtsy she made when she reached the foot of the so-called stage was that of a pampered princess.  
  
Fighting to keep a scowl from his face, Wufei extended one hand to his intended bride, drawing his gently up onto the raised area beside him.   
  
He should have been glad to turn his back to the gathered nobels, but the young King felt only a sick sort of anxiety in his stomach as he lifted his black eyes to meet the brighter ones of the royal mage. He hoped to find some sympathy burried in those eyes...but, as expected, the green eyes were cold and without emotion. Why would the mage show sympathy for his king? After all, Wufei was not being forced into the marrige, no matter how it felt...it was his own choice, and it was a choice that he himself made.  
  
He kneeled, bringing his lady to her knees beside him. Beneath him, the deep carpet was surprisingly soft and comfrotable, but it was impossible to feel any thanks for that miniscule fact.  
  
His friend and mage opened his mouth and started speaking in a low, almost inaudible tone...Though Wufei could understand none of the words that passed through the tall man's lips, he knew exactly what they meant.  
  
"Two people bound together through necessity, for a year and a day before life...accepted by all who lay eyes upon them; embraced by all who ever embraced them, marked for each other until the time that they will be not two but one..."  
  
Slender fingers, warm and dry, wrapped themselves around the upper part of Wufei's right arm so lightly that the dark haired monarch could barely feel them brush his dark skin. He clenched his teeth expecting, and hoping for, in some odd way, a stinging pain or a cold burning sensation...but the hand pulled away without the young man feeling anything.  
  
"For a year and a day."  
  
Wufei took a deep breath and forced his eyes to slide over to where he betrothed knelt, the olive colored skin-much like Wufei's own-of her arm still exposed, her veiled head towards her new husband to be. Wufei swallowed, bit his lip and reached forward. With trembling hands, the young man lifted the princesses veil, seeing, for the first time ever, the face of the woman he was to spend the rest of his life with.  
  
She was very pretty, he had to admit that...very pretty dispite the unhappy expression she wore on her gentle face. Her skin was very near the same exotic hue of Wufei's, her hair, blacker than any night Wufei had ever seen, framed her round face, bangs falling gently into her ebony eyes.   
  
Wufei forced a small smile, and reclined his head gently to the princess. "In a year and a day," he said the ritual words in a voice so soft that he was certain none of his invited guests could hear it. "I would be proud to become your husband." The young woman smiled softly, but the said smile was obviously hollow-which, ofr some reason, heartened Wufei more than anything else that day had. "Until then," Wufei continued, drawing himself to his feet and watching the girl do the same. "You and yours are welcome in my palace." He bowed stiffly to his fiance. "I hope to see you at dinner, Lady, but if you'll excuse me, my kingdom has not decided to put it's problems on hold for this occasion."  
  
He was aware of the small smile that spread on his fiance's lips as he whirled, ignoring the upset looks that masked everyone-or nearly everyone-else's features. He didn't care for diplomacy, and he didn't care for marrige. Without making eye contact with a single guest-foriegn or otherwise-Songuus's young monarch strode with arrogant grace from his betrothing ceremony.  
  
~*~  
  
Wufei allowed himself a little grown as his head slipped silently onto the paper-covered deasktop before him. While work had been a good excuse to escape the uncomfortable ceremony several hours earlier, it was also an unfortunate truth that the dark haired man had to deal with. Only that morning, a fued between the artisan's guild and the worker's guild had broken out...a fued that was truly nothing complicated, but tiring and tedious none the less. And then there was the continued stream of Glangu refugees to deal with...finding them all food; homes and jobs was no easy task to undertake. He could delegate some responsibilty, Wufei thought ruefully...many rulers did. But then, many rulers were puppets or so out of touch with their subjects that they were little more than distant and uncaring Gods...he would rather work himself to exhaustion then to let Songuus have a king like that.  
  
A soft knock on the massive doors to the study drew the dark skinned man from his thoughts, and he swiftly sat up. "Come in," he said in a loud voice, twisting in his seat to face the visitor...he was rather glad for the interuption, even though it was almost certainly one of the lords come to chastise their young king for abandoning his bride so shortly after the betrothal ceremony. He was plesantly surprised when the slim body clad in a pale blue, floor length robe slid silently between the doors.  
  
A genuine smile spread on the king's face as he stood and smiled at his friend. "Dreamweaver," he said, his voice warm dispite the formality of the greeting.  
  
The blond dreamweaver smiled at him and kicked the massive doors closed behind him with a slippered foot. "Your majesty," he bowed slightly over the sliver tray he held in his arms. "I have come to inform you that a diplomatic envoy from Glangu has arrived..." His slippered feet made no sound as he walked with light steps further into the king's sanctuary to gently diposit the tray on a low reading table. "I also brought tea,"  
  
"Invite the envoy to dinner this evening, and make sure they have comfortable quaters to rest and clean up," the monarch dismissed the report with a slight wave of his thin hand. "Delivering such messages-and tea-" he gave a rueful smile. "is a little below your station...dreammaster."  
  
The blond dreamreader smiled, his shoulder relaxing visably as his uncomfortable mask of formality slipped away. "Thats not the main reason I came, Wufei..."  
  
Wufei nodded curtly. "I thought not," he said, walking over to where his friend stood beside the table. "Is anything wrong? Between you and the Mage perhaps...?"  
  
Clear aqua eyes blinked in surprise only a second before a water-like laugh fell cheerfully from the magic-doers full lips. "Oh no," Quatre brubled, his good cheer transmitting itself in the form of a smile to the young king. "Trowa and I are fine...I was worried, rather, about you...Your discomfort was fairly obvious during the ceremony earlier..."  
  
Wufei sighed, turning away slightly, and fixing his dark eyes rather pointedly at the deeply colored knotted carpet the two stood on. "It was that glaring, was it?" his scholar's voice was soft as he chided himself silently for being so open with the way he felt.  
  
"To me it was." Quatre responded, leaning over the tray he'd carried in to poor some steaming tea into two ornately decorated mugs. "The others, I believe, saw only their stoic leader...but I know better." He glanced up at his friend and ruler with concern shining in his vibrant eyes. "I was wondering if you'd like to talk..."  
  
Wufei waved the offer away, but accepted the plain tea his friend handed him. "You already knew that I was not looking forward to being shackled to a woman..." he hissed, sipping at the hot tea cautiously. "It is a necessity for Songuus, otherwise I'd not touch the subject..."  
  
"There are other ways to form treaties..." Quatre offered in a rather uncertain voice.  
  
"Yes, but marrige is one of the easiest..." Wufei murmured through his scowl. "Besides, the Lord and Lady Ron were rather set on their daughter's marrige to me..."  
  
Quatre sighed, lowering his clear eyes. "You always do what is right for Songuus," he said in a voice so soft that the words slurred. "And what is right for Songuus is right for you..."  
  
"Exactly." The young lord said, nodding curtly. "So I have a year and a day to live free of true woman domanation and then..." he gave a dramatic smile, trying-and failing-to bring some humor into the situation.  
  
"I doubt it will be that horrible," Quatre's tone was wry though his words were completely serious. Gaining his feet, the blond set his tea cup down. "I will leave you now, your majesty," formality creeping into his voice and mannerisms once again. "You haven't long before dinner..." Wufei nodded abselty, sipping at his tea and staring off into the book filled recesses of his study. "But before I go..." Dark eyes focused on Quatre once again, whose voice faultered with uncertainty. "May I see...?"  
  
The corners of Wufei's lips turned upwards in a small smile as he set his tea cup down on a near by table. Without speaking a word, the onyx haired man rolled his white sleeve up to reveal his tan and muscular arm. Along the upper part of his arm, where the mage had laid his warm hands only hours earlier, was a thin dark line that seemed to pulse with Wufei's heartbeat.  
  
Quatre took a small step forward, his pale hand lifting of it's own accord to brush the darker skin of the betrathed band ever so slighty...Almost immediatly after his skin brushed the band, his pulled his fingertips back with an inaudible gasp. Eyes wide, the dreamweaver bowed hastily and let himself out of the room.  
  
Wufei sighed remorsely and slowly rolled the white sleeve down to conceal the mark once again.  
  
  
  
  
note: what do you think? No slaveness in this part...setting the scene, man! ;) I hope this makes sense... 


	3. The Ambassador

NOTE: Okay, it's been a while since I've posted on ff.net...let alone this story. I am not dead, and I am writing a lot more...however, I won't be posting for much longer on ff.net-the new polocies agrivate me too much. READ MY PROFILE FOR INFORMATION ON WHERE TO FIND THIS AND MY OTHER STORIES...I AM TAKING MY STUFF OFF FANFICTION.NET FAIRLY SOON!  
Thanks for the beta-reading, Ami. ^__^  
  
Part 3:  
THE AMBASSADOR  
  
  
Like many people of action, the Ambassador of Glangu felt acutely uncomfortable in the heavy finery of her gown...however, like many people caught on the road for any period of time, she also felt deliciously clean as she strode confidently into one of the many reception halls of the Royal Songuus Palace. As expected, the hall was bustling with activity...it was, as she'd been told upon her arrival, the night of the King's betrothal and thus a night of great celebration.   
  
For a moment, she paused in the doorway, her bright eyes scanning the scene before her, taking in the many man distinguished guests: highborn ladies clad rather awkwardly in traditional style Songuus dresses and gentlemen with their dress uniforms or robes. Servants easily recognizable by their red and yellow livery, wove skillfully through the crowd, bearing drinks and appetizers on silver trays.   
  
His majesty, Wufei of the Chang family, was easy to find being the only man there dressed in white. Most of the lords wore darker colors that suited their positions or made some indication of to which family they hailed. The king was also surrounded by a large number of courtiers, fawning and speaking to him as he nodded in a distracted sort of way.   
  
With a faint smile on her lips, the ambassador began to move over to where the king stood, her steps long and purposeful as she nimbly dodged the various mingling lords and ladies.   
  
Wufei's dark eyes locked onto her almost instantly because she was rather distinctive in a gown of Glangu colors and cut. Smiling slightly the monarch politely disengaged himself from the swarm about him and made his way over to where she stood.   
  
"Lady Noin," Wufei said with a faint bow as he reached ear-shot of the ambassador.   
  
"Your Majesty," Lucrezia Noin greeted him formally with a deep curtsy. "Congratulations on your betrothal."   
  
"Thank you," the king dismissed her words with a slight wave of the hand. "I assume that you are acting as ambassador of Glangu?"   
  
"Very perceptive, majesty," Noin replied, nodding her head gently. "I was appointed this position only recently. I believe it was because of my time spent here previously, though I have little doubt that it also served as a convenient way to keep me out of trouble." A troubled smile spread over the dark haired woman's lips.   
  
"Oh?" The king inquired, raising one dark eyebrow. "Have you been causing trouble for my dear friend Treize?"   
  
Noin's smile faltered and she fidgeted slightly with the long silver gloves that encased her hands. "Not...exactly," she murmured, her voice dropping until it was hard to hear over the din of a hundred polite conversations. "Things have changed...there is much you should know."   
  
"I see," Wufei replied, his eyes darkening and ice creeping into his voice at the unpleasant implications of his old friend's words. "Perhaps this isn't the time or place for such conversation." Noin nodded, relieved that she'd be able to have at least a little more time to figure out how best to put the bad news. "If you are not too tired, we could meet after dinner to...catch up?"   
  
With the faintest smile, Noin inclined her head with acceptance. "I should not be too tired, providing we do not linger too terribly long..."   
  
"Agreed." Wufei's eyes were beginning to travel once again. "I will send someone to your quarters to fetch you...I assume you'll want to change into something a little less formal." Noin smiled gratefully at this, unconsciously tugging at the gauzy fabric of her overskirt. "Dinner should be served soon. I ought to find my betrothed. Until this evening..." Wufei gave a last bow before he headed off into the crowd, leaving the ambassador on her own.   
  
~*~   
  
Dinner was an elegant affair, filled with small portions of mouth watering dishes and meaningless talk between the dozens of guests. For her part, Noin ate enthusiastically, having become accustomed to the limited selection of food on the road, but she engaged in little conversation, listening instead to the gossip of the nation. Most of the talk revolved around Wufei's betrothal. The woman he was to marry, a Lady Meiran, wasn't well known in the Songuus kingdom, being a princess of Rosian. Her reputation, however, was one of forcefulness and a war-like outlook to life. Noin somehow had a hard time picturing the scholarly king married happily to the pretty woman that the courtiers described.   
  
By the time dessert was brought around, the ambassador had had her fill of talk and found herself yearning to leave. She was incredibly grateful when Wufei bid his guests a good-night and retired, his bride to be leaving only minutes afterwards.   
  
Though many of the courtiers lingered after their king's departure, Noin swiftly left, returning to her spacious quarters to slip out of her constraining formal wear and into a warm bath.   
  
She'd forgotten completely about her engagement with Wufei, when the knock on the door came. Cursing under her breath, the pale skinned woman quickly threw on a robe and opened the door just enough to peer out into the hall.   
  
"Madam Ambassador?" the middle aged, blonde woman spoke softly from the other side of the heavy door.   
  
"Yes?" Noin replied, her eyes taking in the woman quickly, then straying rudly back into her own room, searching for something easy to wear.   
  
"My name is Lady Une-I'm his Majesty's assistant. I'm here to escort you to see his Majesty..."   
  
"Yes, of course," Noin responded softly. "If you would hold on just a moment..." sliding the door shut on Lady Une, Noin hastily grabbed a dark brown pair of pants. She had them halfway on before she realized that they were what she'd been wearing throughout most of the week and a half journey to Songuus, and therefore wreaked of horse and sweat. Disgusted, she tugged them off and flung them across the room before she began a frenzied search for something clean. One did not keep a king waiting-even if you were old friends with him.   
  
It was a full five minutes before Noin once again opened the door, running a hand through her short, damp hair and leaving her room a scattered mess. The clothing she had found were far from perfect-the dark blue pans were ripped in a couple of spots and the gray tank-top was actually what she usually slept in...but they were clean and covered her.   
  
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Noin apologized to the aggravated looking lady.   
  
"It's quite all right," Une replied with curt politeness and an icy tone to her voice which made it clear that Noin's delay was not 'quite all right'. Behind her glasses, intelligent eyes surveyed Noin's attire with disapproval, but Une said nothing more save "This way" as she started down one long corridor.   
  
The king was waiting for Noin in a small library, engrossed in a book on ancient war tactic. He closed the volume and stood when he heard the two women enter.   
  
"Lady Noin," Wufei greeted his old friend formally, dark eyes scanning her as she gave an awkward curtsy. "That'll be all, Une."   
  
"Yes, Your Majesty," the cold woman said softly, leaving the room and gently closing the heavy door behind her.   
  
As soon as his servant had departed, Wufei's manner changed noticeably. Though he did not smile, his expression warmed considerably to his guest. "How have you been, Noin?" Wufei asked, seating himself and gesturing for her to do the same. "It's been a long while since we've spoken last."   
  
"Yes," Noin agreed, lowering herself into a red cushioned chair opposite where the king sat. "And a lot has happened. Not just for me but for Glangu and his Majesty as well..."   
  
A thoughtful frown flit over Wufei's features. "Yes, I suppose it must've. Oddly enough, we hear little from Glangu these days, and I haven't spoken to Treize since shortly after he lost his wife in childbirth."   
  
Leaning forward in her chair, Noin fixed a serious gaze on the young monarch. "Then I am certain I can tell you some things you do not know." Wufei nodded for her to continue, and Noin too a deep breath. "After losing both his wife and child in childbirth, his Majesty slipped into a deep depression. He lost interest in all things, including running his country...he grew weak and sick, barely eating or leaving his quarters. The only people that saw him on a regular basis were his niece Relena Peacecraft and his advisor, an older man known simply as J. Over time, Treize disappeared completely from court, relying on J to inform the people of his state decisions. Now Treize is close to death...I've seen him only three times over the past year, and each time I am amazed at how hollow and pale he seems...It is certain that he is near death, and when he dies J will seize his thrown. J has already announced his engagement to Lady Relena, the heir to the Glongu thrown, and changes in Treize's policies are already showing themselves. The taxes are now nearly triple what they were seventeen years ago, when Treize was fully in control, and foreign relations grow more stressed. J has been "recruiting" peasants and farmers from the city and surrounding area, building up the armed forces.   
  
"A number of us believe that J is actually poisoning Treize very slowly, that Treize isn't in control even of his own mind, but most of the loyalists, as we call ourselves, have either met untimely deaths, gone missing or have been reassigned to remote posts outside of Glongu. J's plans seem to be accelerating and we have no doubt that as soon as Treize's breath is still, J will declare war on one or more of the neighboring countries. J is a sadistic, sadistic man who has proven time and again that he thrives of pain, death and suffering."   
  
Noin stopped with an exasperated sigh, leaning back in her chair as she watched for Wufei's reaction.   
  
"I see," Wufei said slowly, a troubled and thoughtful frown dominating his features. "I hadn't realized it had been so long since I'd had relations with Glongu...or that things could have degraded so much in that time. Thank you, lady, for the information...I will use what resources I have to find out if your theory is true." Inclining her head, Noin said nothing. "And now, if that is all, I believe it is time to call an end to this meeting. It is late and there is much to think of..."   
  
"Of course," Noin said with a small smile. "I will be requiring an official time to speak with you before too long...though, I warn you, I will be speaking what I was told to, much of which is likely lies."   
  
"Of course." Wufei stood in a distracted way. "Can you find your way back to your quarters?" Noin nodded. "Then I bid you a good night."   
  
"Good night, your Majesty," Noin returned, swiftly leaving the king to his musings. Once outside the small study, Noin leaned against one wall, taking a deep breath in an attempt to release all the tension that had been building throughout the unofficial meeting. She was exhausted, the ambassador realized numbly as she shoved herself off the wall and started back to her room. It would be good to get a full night's sleep in an actual bed.   
  
Thankfully it only took a few minutes to reach the rooms which were assigned to the Glongu ambassador. The doors were unlocked, which was fine considering how many guards patrolled those corridors at any given time, and so Noin slipped right in. The moment she was in a the room, the numerous candles lit, casting wavering light over the mess that Noin had left in her wake. She sighed, shaking her head with annoyance. Since she was so tired, she shoved a few shirts off the bed and collapsed, ignoring the mess scatted about the room. Without conscious thought, the woman willed the candles out and within minutes she was fast asleep.   
  
~*~   
  
Dark eyes snapped open and her lithe body tensed instantly under the covers of her bed. Had she heard something? It was still dark, the wizard candles still out...but something was wrong in the room.   
  
Noin forced her breathing to remain steady and concentrated on listening. There it was-a faint scuffle of feet on carpet...or, more actually, of feet finding one of many piles of discarded clothing that was scattered about her room. Sliding a hand silently out of the bed and between her mattresses, Noin gripped the small dagger she'd stashed there after being assigned the rooms. There was an almost inaudible curse that told Noin what she needed to know-the intruder, whoever he might be, was growing uncomfortably near her bed.   
  
Tensing her body, Noin rolled rapidly to one side, away from the intruder and off the bed. With her quick movement, the candle's were instantly lit-a fact that Noin had been counting on, but the intruder was taken completely off guard and temporarily blinded. Blinking rapidly to adjust her eyes to the sudden light, Noin sprang to her feet, brandishing the dagger in the intruder's direction.   
  
The intruder, dressed in all black and carrying the red-hilted, curved dagger of one of Wufei's guards, was taken by complete surprise when Noin leapt agilely onto the bed, sliding across the slick sheets to ram her well muscled body into his. Hitting the floor heavily, Noin sat on the assassin's chest, forcing the air from him. Without too much difficulty, the dark haired woman grabbed the man's dagger and forced her own blade under his throat.   
  
"You picked the wrong ambassador to come after," she growled, her instincts and mannerisms returning to the long years she had spent training with kings and guardsmen. Below her, the helpless assassin squirmed in an ineffectual attempt to break free of her hold. With an almost sadistic grin, Noin pulled one hand back and rammed the butt of her palm into the man's nose. Spurting blood, his head knocked against the floor with a painful sounding crack. The struggling body went limp below her.   
  
Noin sighed, standing up and retrieving the man's dagger. Leaving the intruder lying unconscious on the floor, the ambassador went to the door and called into the hallway for guards. Within minutes, the would-be assassin was dragged away leaving only Noin's life-saving mess and a few drops of blood on the carpet in his wake.  
  
  
  
  
Beta's note: This stuff is great! I hope to see lots of reviews, people! Come on. I know you've got more energy then you seem to! haha. Great job again, Harm!   
Ami 


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